How was it like for homeschoolers back in the 80's?

Question

There's still A LOT of people who hold negative impressions of homeschoolers, but how bad was it in the 80s? Don't get me wrong; I love being homeschooled, and have been for pretty much all my life, but 9 times out of 10 whenever I tell someone this little fact, they dart back questions like "OMG, you poor thing! Don't you have any friends?!", or something along those lines. It's almost funny, actually. But tiresome. How was it like for homeschoolers back in the 60s/70s/80s? Or even before?

Answer 1

Both my parents were home-educated from Kindy 'til the end of year 6 in the late 1960s and 1970s. Maybe it has always been more common place out here in the bush, so they didn't have the stupid questions to contend with - then, like now, *ALL* primary school-aged kids were either home-educated or distance educated.

I think the big difference was on the social side - they didn't have heaps of 'face to face' contact with other kids from outside their own family. There were social opportunities like Scouts and Pony Club but, back then, kids up here participated in all such organisations via the radio. Their friendships were played out over the radio and they only got to meet up in person with their friends maybe once a year at a weekend camp.

Answer 2

As for the lack of knowledge, or understanding about home schooling not much has changed.

All we can do is keep up the  education of those who have genuine questions.

On another note; politically that is;

It was an up hill battle, and took a lot of work on the part of the pioneer families who blazed the trails and gained the freedoms many home school families enjoy today.

There are still many states who in every legislative session deem it necessary to try to limit or take away these freedoms, but there are still plenty of families who remember, and help defeat these bad bills before they become law.

Freedom is not free, so do not take it for granted.

Without every families involvement, home school freedoms could be here today, and gone tomorrow.

Answer 3

I have several cousins that were home schooled and graduated in the early 90's. They are the greatest people now and a major source of inspiration for my sister and I who are now home schooling. For them it was harder and their moms had a tougher time with the state before standard home school laws were put into place in the late 80's. After the laws were in effect they had less trouble with the DHS system here.

Two of them went to a public High School to graduate and received scholarships to college. Two others graduated from home and went to serve on mission fields in China, Mexico, and many other countries . My cousin Cathrine received an honorary doctorate in education from a Christian University. She had done so much in the field that she had earned her education with out ever walking into a college class room. She can now teach any where she wants but has chosen to stay at home for a while and raise her baby. All 4 of them are intelligent and beautiful. They have many many friends and have normal social lives.

Answer 4

People deffinetly have better impressions of homeschoolers then they did a few years ago. I started homeschooling back in 1990, and since I've been noticing a slow improvement of peoples opinions. But yeah, I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. That stupid, "you have no friends" thing. I had(had because I'm no longer being homeschooled. I'm in college) more friends then any public school people I knew.

Answer 5

I haven't been homeschooling that long so I can't share from my experience. But I do know a few moms who did homeschool in the 80's and they said that it was much harder then. They were looked upon as truant (because nobody knew you could actually do it) and many did hide out at home and didn't do much with others. So few homeschoolers meant no chance at having group activities during the day. Plenty still found evening and weekend activities. Their kids--now adults, of course--turned out just fine!

Your question had me thinking we should have a question of:

What was it like homeschooling in the 1700 and 1800s? Most well-educated people were schooled at home, either by parents or by tutors. People like Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin continued their education themselves after the age of roughly 10.

Were they unsocialized? Did they not have friends?

Where they lacking in "real world" exposure?

Were the unable to hold down jobs?

Were they lacking anything necessary in their education to lead a decent life?

It *is* tiresome that people are unable to think beyond their initial faulty assumptions.

Answer 6

I find it funny, too.  There's a great book called the Home Spun Schools by Raymond and Dorothy Moore that details what some homeschooling families went through in the 80's.  It is out of print, I believe, but you may be able to find it at the library.